David Henry Hwang

The Truth Behind Civil Disobedience What do you believe “Civil Disobedience” means? Is it a criminal act or justified protests? Throughout the articles and poems, “Civil Disobedience” by Eric Cockrell, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and “On Nonviolent Resistance” by Mohandas K. Gandhi, the authors seem to interpret the phrase very similarly. The term “Civil Disobedience” by its actual definition, means to not comply with certain laws and taxes as a way of protest.…

I believe that by using peaceful civil disobedience in protesting injustice in the world has a great impact on society. When an individual stands up for what is right such as the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it shows others that having dedication and strength in ones beliefs can change a law, a nation, and the beliefs of others. Dr. King's peaceful stance on civil rights in this nation and in the City of Birmingham made many non-believers stand up and take notice. He along with his…

Henry David Thoreau was considered as the first hippie. He avoid government taxes and laws. He was an extremely independent citizen, which means he avoid consumerism and business products. When he got thrown in jail, one of his friends bail him out and Henry knew he had to protest for his true freedom and against government corruption. It was a civil disobedience, he says that government doesn’t do valuable things. People do valuable things. Mohandas K. Gandhi was known as the purest soul. In…

A Mesmerizing Perspective of American Literature: Throughout history literature has shaped the substructure of America. From earliest contact of explorers like Christopher Columbus to writers of today’s works in the 21st century. American literature starting with Puritan culture, holds an array of different writers, styles, viewpoints, and inspiration. American literature has set past and present standards, broken barriers, and peregrinate from most prospects by transcending veracity and…

Sometimes when i feel angry, upset, or maybe just want to think, ill go outside to enjoy and respect nature. Having respect for nature is a Transcendentalism trait. Transcendentalism is a movement to be a nonconformist who does things different than everyone else and also has respect for nature. In Dead Poets Society the teacher Mr. Keating teaches the student to be Transcendentalism. The students then go on and create their own Dead Poets Society group outside of class. One of the student in…

Transcendentalism marked an important ideological liberation movement through the history of American. The leader of Transcendental movement was Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was also known as the “father of transcendentalism”. Along with his friend and student Henry David Thoreau, they had written many articles talking about the main trails of Transcendentalism, such as nonconformity and confidence. In Emerson's writing of Nature and Thoreau's book of Walden, both of them expressed their ideas of…

Civil Disobedience: A Dangerous Influence on Society Civil disobedience is extremely significant in progressing American democracy: it was the impetus that drove our founding fathers to resist England, it aided Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul in struggle for women’s suffrage, and aided abolitionists and civil rights advocates for nearly 150 years. However, when civil disobedience movements lack peaceful leadership they often turn violent, decreasing respect for authority and democracy. Once a…

The Transcendental movement influenced many modern ideas that are applied to our daily lives. Transcendentalism is a philosophy or a way to live your life. Although it originated in Europe there were many influential American Transcendentalists. Authors and poets like Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman and Dickinson shaped Transcendentalism in America. I personally do not abide by all themes of Transcendentalism but there are some in which I think are very intuitive. The principles of Transcendentalism…

Since Henry David Thoreau, there have been many different American Authors whose focuses were Environmental writing and/or nature based writings. Among these authors, there are some very common themes. First, nearly all the authors tend to write in a very descriptive style which tends to make the writings not only stronger, but more visual as well. Descriptive writing also allows the readers to connect with the writer’s pieces, almost as if the readers were standing there beside the other…

Peacefully resisting a national law impacts a free society, but depending on the situation, it can be a positive or a negative impact. In "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau, he expresses his belief that "government is best when governs least". That is a hard concept to follow, though, considering many citizens of the U.S struggle to conform to the laws we have currently. I would agree that a limited government is extremely necessary, but to have no rules at all is dangerous. If I were…